EDGEWELL PERSONAL CARE
154 because our razors are manufactured with imported blade steel . It was a challenging situation because something like that can immediately have a big impact on the margins of that line of business . We took a very systematic , and what I would consider a very organized approach towards managing that risk in a four-step approach ,” he explains .
“ The first step was to really understand the policy , go down to the details and really understand what the tariff is being applied on . What categories of steel is the tariff being applied for ? What countries are exempt ? What countries are not exempt ? What are the criteria for exemption ? These tie back to our category expertise as well , where we had a very in-depth understanding of the macroeconomics , the cost drivers and the marketplace for blade steel . This really helped us to incorporate a sourcing strategy that would allow us to manage some of these risks .
“ The second step was assessing the risk exposure , understanding the full value stream within our supply chain
“ In the past , consumers used to be a lot more loyal to big brand names , but nowadays are looking for more personalization and are willing to try new brands that appeal to their individuality ”
— Nirav Mehta , Vice President of Global Procurement at Edgewell Personal Care ( EPC )
MARCH 2019